Lighter



April 1961 KANAME ICHIKAWA 2,979,929

LIGHTER Filed March 3, 1959 INVENTOR.

United States Patent. F

LIGH V Akasaka HiBOki-gl nato-ku,

, et a m n l Filed Mar. 3,1959, Ser. N 79 ,901

priority, a pncafiouspsn Mar. 24, 1958 1 Claim. (Cl. 677.1)

Kaname Ichikawa,

The present invention relates to a lighter of the type which may be carried in a person's pocket and is useful for lighting cigarettes and the like.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a lighter which is contained safely in a persons pocket, since all the ignition parts are entirely confined in an elongated cylindrical casing when it is not in use, and.

consequently the cloth of the pocket of the wearer of the lighter is not damaged at all, and also when the lighter is in use, the ignition cover is opened rapidly at the same time as the ignition takes place by pressing an upper ignition cover. Accordingly, the opening of the ignition cover and the ignition of a wick are caused at the same time automatically by the operation of the upper cover through an operating mechanism and consequently the handling of it is very convenient.

With this and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal section of the lighter of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, 'taken at a different plane than that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but in a different operative position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective viewof the essential parts thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a section along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, the lighter comprises an elongated cylindrical casing 1 which is partitioned at its middle section by a partition wall and is covered at one end with a lower cover 2 so as to form a conventional fuel reservoir 3. A guide member 4 of square cross section is welded or fixed to the opposite surface of the partition wall, in the cylindrical casing .1. The other end of the casing 1 iscovered with an upper cover 5. An end plate 6a of a channel shaped member 6 is fixed to the inner surface of the upper cover 5, so as to fit slidably with its legs 6b in the guide member 4 having likewise square-shaped cross-section. The top plate 4a of the guide member 4 facing the channel shaped member 6 is bent downwardly to form a partition wall 7 which is disposed between the legs 61;. A tip end 7' of the partition wall 7 engages the bottom plate 4b and is.

fixed thereto. A shaft 11 is rotatably mounted across the side plates 4c of the guide member 4. Gear wheels 9 are keyed to the shaft 11. The gear wheels 9 are in mesh with racket teeth 8 formed on elongated parts of the legs 6b of the channel shaped member 6. A cover 10 I 11. Also, when theshaft 11 and the gear wheels 9'se- 1 cured thereto areturned in'one direction, the pawl 13 engages an ignition file wheel 14freely rotatable on the Patented Apr. 18, 1961 the wick cover 10 can be turned together with the shaft shaft ll'and ignites the wick 16 by the frictional contact of the ignition filewheel 14 with an ignition flint 15.- The pawl 13 co-operates with conventional ratchetwheel; means secured to theshaft 11 and consequently when the,

pawl 13 is turned in one direction, the ignition file wheel 14 is turned for ignition. However, when the pawl 13 is turned in the reverse direction, the ignition file wheel 14 does not turn and is retained in the position engaging the ignition flint 15.

In accordance with the present invention, the upper cover 5 is normally maintained at the greatest possible distance from the guide member 4. The window opening 1' is closed up bythe wick cover 10 in the normal position of the latter. When the upper cover 5 is pressed downwardly against the action of the coil spring 12, the channel shaped member 6 slides in the guide member 4 and by the engagement of the rack teeth of the elongated parts of the channel shaped member 6 with the gear wheels 9, the shaft 11 turns together with the wick cover 10 so as to open the window opening and to expose the wick 16. Thus, the pawl 13 is rotated together with the ignition filewheel 14, and, consequently, the ignition file wheel 14 engages frictionally the ignition flint 15 so as to ignite and to light the wick 16.

Further, when the pressure upon the upper. cover 5 is released, the coil spring 12 expands to return the,

of the lighter is exposed to the outside, the exterior appearance of the lighter is not only objectionable, but also it has a defect that the cloth of the pocket will be damaged. It is an advantage of the present invention that the ignition device is entirely contained in the cylindrical casing 1 when not in use. Also, when the lighter is to be used, the upper cover 5 is pressed simply and the wick cover 10 is turned to open the window opening 1 auto matically and at the same time the wick 16 is lighted immediately.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in alimiting sense, the

scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claim.

I claim:

A lighter comprising an elongated cylindrical casing forming adjacent its one end'a fuel reservoir and receiving at its other end a guide member of substantially square cross-sectiom'an upper cover closing one end of said I casing, achannel shaped member having an end plate the .latter being. secured to the inner face of said upper cover I and including legs slidably extending intosaid guide themfor the wick 16, closing a window opening 1 provided in the body of the cylindrical casing 1, is secured to the shaft 11 to be turned jointly with the shaft 11. A coil spring 12 is disposed between the end plate 6a of the channel shaped member 6 and the partition wall 7 of the guide member 4. A pawl 13 is freelyro tatable on the shaft 11. When the gear wheels 9 are rotated in one her, said legs having elongated parts of reducedheight,

rack teeth formed on each ofsaid elongated parts of said channel shaped member, ashaft rotatably mounted across said guide member, said casing defining a-window openf ing opposite said'shaft, a'wick cover mounted to turn' about said shaft andclosing said window opening in its inoperative position and exposing said window opening in its operative position, gear wheels secured to said shaft and engaging said rack teeth of said elongated parts and turnprojeeting'fiom said casing and engaging said ignition file 5 wheel; and a wick disposed in said casing adjacent said ignition file wheel; and means wh erebyfupon pressing down said upper cover, said w'iclg eo'yer is'tu rned to open said window opening and to expose said wick and said wick.

ignition file wheel is actuated to project sparks onto said 10 References Cited in tpfe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Aronson Jan. 1, Wagner May 26, Peterson June 22,

FOREIGN PATENTS France .'"Oct. 5; Great Britain May 1,

Great Britain Switzerland Oct. 2, 

